


Take Me Home

by youaresunlight



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Driver Dean, Drunk Castiel, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 08:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3374036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youaresunlight/pseuds/youaresunlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is a driver for Safe Ride, a program at his college where students can request car rides home - typically if they’ve had too much to drink. Tonight begins as just another ordinary shift until Dean has to drive a guy named Cas back to his dorm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Me Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [volantcas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/volantcas/gifts).



“Dean, we just got a Safe Ride request from Kappa Theta. You okay to go?”

The grouse is on the tip of Dean’s tongue; it hasn’t been two minutes since he drove a tipsy Phi Delt back to his dorm across campus. But it’s two am on a Saturday and their phone is starting to ring off the hook, which means he’ll have to head out sooner or later so he nods at his supervisor and grabs his keys.

It’s a cushy deal, really, as far as campus jobs go. He works every Friday - from eleven at night to three the next morning - and the pay is better than prepping food at the café or hell, even that of his other job as a T.A. for Intro Physics. All he has to do is shuttle people to various destinations around campus, and sure, they’re drunk more often than not, but it isn’t like he’s driving Baby so he doesn’t mind.

He can see two students when he pulls up to Kappa Theta Epsilon, a redhead wearing bright rainbow leggings and a dark-haired guy who’s sort of slumped against her tiny frame. Dean rolls down a window to let her know that he can only drive one person at a time, but then the passenger side door is being yanked open and the guy climbs in, sounding breathless and giggly and smelling like screwdrivers.

“Cas, you need to get in the backseat!” The girl sighs when he shuts the door on her and peeks in through the open window at Dean. “I’m really sorry. We dragged him out tonight and he’s…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dean says. With the lights on inside the car, he gets a better look at her attire, and he nearly cringes at the sight of her in a tank top - in February. “Did you call for another ride?”

“Oh, no, I’m a sister here. I live in the house.” She hooks a thumb over her shoulder then straightens back up. “Speaking of, I might let you go and head inside. My arms are about to freeze off.”

Dean laughs and gives her a little wave. She’s really cute. “That’d probably be smart. See you around.”

He gets a smile in return and waits until she’s back on the porch before rolling up the window and turning toward his passenger. The lights haven’t dimmed yet and Dean notices that the guy’s outfit is far more ridiculous than the redhead’s. His shirt is covered in _bees_ , for one, all cartoonish and happy-looking but, seriously, who even _buys_ that? Then there’s a headband - with cat ears - two grey, fluffy things poking out from dark, messy hair. And not to mention the jeans that look pretty damn tight and-

Okay, Jesus, he needs to stop. He can’t loiter by the curb forever.

“Alright, man. Where am I taking you?”

His voice seems to shake the guy from his daze, and when he tilts his head to lock their eyes from under dark lashes, Dean feels like the air has jumped ship from his lungs.

God, he has _never_ seen eyes so big and blue.

The guy watches him for a moment, then quirks one corner of his pink, pouty lips. “To my dorm,” he says matter-of-factly, and holy shit, Dean didn’t expect his voice to be so deep.

The lights finally shut off overhead, though Dean fumbles for the button to turn them back on manually. He tries to convince himself that he _isn’t_ doing it to continue his ogling, but as the light comes on and he finds the blue eyes again, Dean has to admit that Mr. I-Love-Bees is honestly beautiful.

“Um, right,” he replies helplessly, “but you gotta tell me where your dorm is first.”

“Woodward Hall,” comes the answer. Then, “I’m Cas.”

Dean switches off the light and shifts the car out of park. “Nice to meet you, Cas. I’m Dean.”

“What year are you?” Cas asks as they leave Greek row. “Don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Junior,” Dean says, making a right at the end of the street. “You?”

“Same,” Cas hums like this is all very interesting. “S’funny we haven’t met.”

“Well, I miss out on a lot of parties now that I’m a chauffeur,” Dean teases. He hedges a glance at Cas, whose head is cocked to the side with his features cast in a soft glow from the street lamps. He’s worrying his lip all pretty and sweet, looking shy yet curious and yeah, how _haven’t_ they met before?

And those _ears_. Christ.

“I don’t really go out like this,” Cas says. He’s leaning against the arm rest and specks of glitter sparkle on his skin like stars. “But Anna just became… became Programming Chair, I think? This is her first party and she said I _had to_ come, so I borrowed these,” he gestures lazily at his head, “from my floor mate Ruby. She’s kinda scary and I didn’t think she’d let me wear them.”

Dean chuckles at that as they pass the quad, because Cas’ words are slurring just a tad and it should be unattractive but it’s not. It’s damn cute.

“… the bee shirt is mine though,” Cas declares, sounding proud. “My bee tee,” he mumbles, then laughs like he’s really satisfied with his own joke. It makes Dean want to stop the car so he can pet those ears.

“What was the theme?” he asks instead, sneaking another glance as Cas blinks. He’s lucky that their school is in the middle of freaking nowhere, because there are exactly zero other cars on the road.

“Tackies,” Cas crinkles his nose, leaning over the console as far as his seatbelt will allow. “Do you think I look tacky, Dean?” he inquires softly, and it’s a testament to Dean’s five years of safe driving that he doesn’t swerve.

“Uh, you… No, you don’t- You don’t look tacky.”

“Oh. So I didn’t fit the theme?”

Cas’ shoulders droop and Dean _swears_ that his ears droop with them and dear god, he can’t handle this night at all. “No, I meant,” he backtracks quickly. “I just meant that you look good, Cas.”

Cas beams. “Thank you, Dean,” he says with wide eyes. “So do you.”

Dean just shakes his head because Cas is an inaccurate, albeit adorable, drunk. He appreciates the sentiment though, his flannel shirt and jeans notwithstanding.

When he parks the car outside of Woodward, it’s the first time he’s been disappointed to drop someone off. Cas is still peering at him, apparently unaware that they’ve stopped, and as much as Dean would like to indulge right back, he also knows that the guy should probably go to bed.

“We’re here,” he announces quietly, attempting to hide the reluctance in his voice. Cas, for his part, looks doe-eyed and sad enough for both of them, slow in his movement of opening the door and turning back to Dean when he’s got one foot out of the car on the pavement.

“Will you walk me up?” he smiles demurely. “I’m on the third floor and I feel a bit…”

“Yeah, sure,” Dean agrees, already taking the keys and stepping out of the car. He comes around to Cas’ side and fights a dopey grin when Cas grasps his offered hand.

Cas doesn’t stumble _too much_ on their way up the stairs, though at one point he trips on a seam in the carpet and Dean has to catch him by wrapping an arm around his waist. They arrive at his door eventually, spared from any other almost-injuries, and Dean keeps a hand on the small of Cas’ back while Cas squints at his keys before fitting one of them into the lock.

“Thank you,” Cas says once his door swings open. His cheeks are visibly flushed despite his tanned skin and his eyes are impossibly brilliant beneath better lighting.

“You’re welcome,” Dean replies, taking a step back and pocketing his hands. He’s about to remind Cas to drink a lot of water when there’s a blur of black and blue and Cas’ face is buried in his chest. For a second he’s too stunned to react, until slowly he registers a pair of arms tightening around his middle.

“I’m glad I met you tonight,” Cas mumbles, sighing the words right into the fabric, and as soon as Dean’s brain catches up he’s hugging Cas back, drawing a low, contented purr from Cas that lets loose an entire rabble of butterflies in his stomach.

“Me too. Get some sleep, okay?”

Cas nods against his chest, and Dean feels the furry tips of his ears tickle his jaw.

“Can I see you again?” Cas asks, his voice muffled. Dean pulls him closer, their bodies flush, and smiles.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

When Dean returns to the office ten minutes later, his co-worker Benny’s on his way out but stops for long enough to raise an eyebrow at him.

“Where’ve you been? You drive someone somewhere outta town?”

Dean peeks at the clock a little guiltily. “Sorry, man. The guy just needed some help getting to his room.”

“A saint you are,” Benny rolls his eyes, then frowns as he takes in the state of Dean’s shirt. “Why is there glitter on your stomach, brother?”

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

Cas wakes up with a pretty terrible headache, groaning as he sits up and reaches for his Nalgene. The sunlight is painful and he blinks hard a few times to adjust, after which he sees that he’s a foot off from where his water actually is so he extends his arm farther, his throat completely parched.

It’s then that he sees them, the faint blue letters and numbers dotting his skin. He bends his arm at the elbow and squints at the slightly blurred ink from a ballpoint pen.

_785-124-0710 (Dean)_

“Dean…? De- Oh my god.”

Cas drops his face to his palms, pushing at his eyes with the heels of his hands. He remembers it now: the gorgeous green eyes, the solid embrace. The embrace that _he’d_ initiated no less, because Dean had been warm, personality and otherwise.

He also recalls asking Dean if he could see him again, which, _what the hell?_ Could he have been any more embarrassing? He isn’t quite sure what Dean said in response, but then there’s the number written on his arm, plain as day. Cas fishes out his phone from his jeans crumpled on the floor, and chews his lip for ten minutes while tapping the backs of his legs against the mattress.

“Hi, Dean. It’s Cas, the, um…” _The drunk passenger from last night_. Cas sighs and tries once more.

“Dean, hey. This is… I… You helped me up to my room?” _Because you’re kind, obviously, and sort of ridiculously cute_. _Could I maybe take you out for coffee or_ …

“God, I’m an idiot,” Cas groans to himself, and by the time he manages to save the number on his phone, he’s become so darn nervous that he ends up pressing the Call button on accident.

“Oh, _no_ , no, no, no,” he hisses, fumbling madly with the uncooperative thing. He proceeds to let out a silent string of curses when he hears a faded, tinny “Hello?” from his stupid, _stupid_ phone.

This is his life, he decides, before lifting the device to his ear. “Hello, Dean.”

“Cas?”

“Y-yeah.” Cas stares up at his ceiling. “Um. I found your number… on my arm.”

“Right,” Dean chuckles quietly, and he sounds fond if not a little worried. “How’re you feeling?”

Nervous, but he doesn’t say that. “Like I’m wearing a helmet made of rocks.”

Dean barks a laugh and Cas tilts his head because he can’t tell what was so funny. “We should get breakfast,” Dean says like it’s the most natural thing.

“It’s almost noon,” Cas replies, though his mind said ‘yes’ pretty much yesterday.

“Lunch then,” Dean suggests easily. “Trust me, Cas; some food will help. I could, uh, come get you in like an hour? I’ll bring a better car this time.”

Cas smiles right into his blush. “Okay. I’ll wear a better… bee shirt this time.”

“You mean your bee tee,” Dean corrects him, and damn, Cas is a total goner.

He wears his favorite sweater, with little bees embroidered along the hem. Others have only ever described it as ‘dorky’ but Dean calls it ‘nice’ when they meet up outside of Cas’ dorm.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

That evening, back in his room - because lunch led to coffee then a long walk and an early dinner - Cas feels too giddy to focus on Hemingway and all hope flies out the window the second he receives Dean’s text.

**Dean (8:14 pm):** i knew i had a good feline about you ;)

Cas rolls his eyes, texts Dean back (something less cheesy though), and goes to ask Ruby if he could please borrow the ears again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this, Ana! ♥
> 
> I'm [puppycastiel](http://puppycastiel.tumblr.com/post/111210977985/dean-cas-take-me-home) on Tumblr (come say hello) and, as always, please do leave me kudos, comments, and love! :)


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